oh, and to clarify the topic .. perhaps it would have been better to suggest that both "sides" can win on a macro level. In each individual player versus player fight it goes without saying that there will be a winner and a loser.

Potato -
I don't disagree that the game needs to succeed in its design of "the basics" first and foremost before taking on what may be more avant-garde objectives or concepts. I further would be the first to agree that win-win scenarios not need to be an option in "every" instance of the game... in fact, there should be worlds where this is most definitely not the case. The fact that the game developers are proposing game worlds that reset and which have different rule-sets of sorts is the framework however that "could" support win/win scenarios periodically... the flexibility of the infrastructure is compelling!
Just trying to initiate some out of the box thinking where most of the other mmo's out there would not provide any opportunity to even consider such things....
Thanks!

In reading how objectives can be different in different worlds, and how the "rules" can change from world to world in response to new concepts, input, etc., I wonder if Crowfall by virtue of that willingness to embrace out of the box thinking might be the place that the following could work:
Imagine a world where two sides are competing for the same resources. Those two sides will indeed struggle against each other as a result, thus the PVP. Imagine however, that the resources are being used for two different purposes which may not be diametrically opposed. One side might need resource "A" to accomplish their over-riding objective of building assets to control an influx of evil creatures in areas 1, 2, and 3 of the map. The other side might need those same resources to construct a huge magical "machine" (a city itself might be the machine where individual structures are components of the final machine) that once constructed will purge the Evil presence of the land.
Now, imagine that side one can achieve varying degrees of victory depending on how well they control the evil in areas 1, 2, and 3. It doesn't need to be a simple all or nothing win/lose. Further, imagine that they can do this 'irrespective' of whether side two successfully builds their magic city-machine or not. Side two conversely can realize varying degrees of success by virtue of the progress made on their machine, irrespective of how well side one is controlling the evil in their areas of interest. Make no mistake about it, the two sides are enemies as they are fighting each other for the same resources... they are doing so however for different end-game objectives so it is still possible for a win-win, even if one side is significantly more successful than the other.
The point being.... in a structure such as the above concept, the PVP crowd and the PVE crowd can both have their cake and eat it too. Everyone can realize benefits from their efforts at the "end" of the game, and there can be greater benefits as a reward for greater results, which still provides motivation and competition.
A "from the hip" concept.....
Thoughts?